I have had arthritis symptoms since I was about 10 years old and haven't really noticed psoriasis symptoms until now. Or what I think might be psoriasis. I will be making an appointment soon to get some answers. So my questions is where did you first notice psoriasis on your body? Thanks!
I have PsA but have never been dx with psoriasis. I have an undiagnosed rash on my scalp which I assume is psoriasis but no one has ever said for sure what it is and I just treat it myself with OTC shampoos.
I had a rash and dandruff on my scalp through my teenage years. A doctor said he thought maybe it was a fungus, so used a prescription shampoo and then OTC shampoos at his suggestion. A different doctor pointed out small red pumps on my chest and upper arms--told me I should get them looked at by a dermatologist but, lacking good insurance, I never did. Then I developed a serious flare up when I was 26 after a poison ivy infection, and now have a quasi-permanent itchy, brownish patch on the side of my torso. Arthritis flare up never occurred until I was 28, with extremely painful swollen foot and second toe that led to my diagnosis with PsA after misdiagnosis as an over-use injury that got worse (destroyed toe joints) after six months of rest, ice, and ibuprofen.
My Psoriasis appeared all over my face, it was AWFUL. it was so bad they thought it was ringworm at first :(
I am 43 years old. My first patch of psoriasis was on my scalp, probably around 1992??, right on my hairline and forehead. I first thought it was just dry skin but it got larger and spread over the top of my scalp. Tried all the over-the-counter stuff - no luck. It's been just about everywhere on my body at different times since then. I went to a dermatologist and that was when I got the dx for psoriasis, as well as having a horrible infection from scratching it. I was on topical steroids for years, and then there were no more topicals available - I was at the highest topical steroid level at the time. In 2004 I had a toe that swelled up. I thought it was broken, and went to an orthopedic dr. after asking questions about my medical history, he said he thought it was an arthritic condition and told me to talk to my dermatologist. She confirmed PsA which I really had no idea what that was, and referred me to a Rheumatologist. The Rheum Dr. put me on Enbrel which helped my toe and also cleared my skin for the first time in my life. In 2009 I started having psoriasis flares again and a lot of stiffness in my hands. The Enbrel was losing its effectiveness. I went on Humira, but it didn't help. In January 2011 I went on Methotrexate (MTX). It helped clear my skin, but I was still having horrible joint pain. In March 2011 Simponi was added. I've had a few psoriasis issues - mainly on my scalp, but the PsA is still terrible. As horrible as the psoriasis was - meaning that I didn't like the way it looked, the PsA pain is way worse for me. Other issues I have are exhaustion and slow recovery from just about anything from a cold or even a bruise.
For me, my first psoriasis experience was head to toe, everywhere except my face, palms and bottom of my feet. I looked like I had the chicken pox and at first I thought it might be bug bites or something. My doc referred me pretty quickly to a dermotologist and he did light therapy (after trying a few other things that didn't quite cut it). I had the most beautiful skin and fabulous tan ever after that. That was around 1992 and I just got diagnosed with PsA this October (although I suspect I might have had it for years, just attributed to other things).
For me I thought it was my scalp about 3 years ago however after speaking with my mom about it I developed inverse psoriasis in my groin are around age 13 then the dr said it was jock itch and about 6 months later it cleared up finally